Insurance Home Inspection

Have your home inspected for a new home insurance policy? Don't be alarmed. The primary reason is to make sure your home is insured properly and that the insurance policy's dwelling coverage reflects the cost to rebuild the home in the event of a total loss. When you receive an insurance quote, replacement value calculation software is used by your insurance representative to determine the home's replacement value. The software is very good but every property is unique in some way so the best way to validate the cost to rebuild for the homeowner is to conduct an insurance inspection.

It has become more common in recent years for home insurance companies to conduct insurance inspections within 30 days of the new policy. Previously, insurance companies or the agent may have taken exterior pictures and or measurements of the property. Now many of the inspections take a look at the interior of the residence as well. The home insurance companies hire licensed independent insurance appraisal companies such as Mueller Inspections that specialize in insurance valuations. The home inspection company will contact you and arrange for the inspection. The inspection typically takes 30 minutes. You will need to be home for the inspection and should expect that the inspector will ask to see each room along with the basement and furnace. They will also take pictures of your home from both inside and outside.

There are two primary purposes of a home inspection:

To validate the replacement estimate calculated with a combination of public information and information you’ve provided, and,

To identify conditions where a loss might occur: safety items such as a deck with no handrails, or susceptibility to loss, most commonly water